Presentation for NCT4G. User experience design is one approach to addressing the issues of unconscious bias often found in today’s technology. Unconscious bias is an often overlooked and undervalued aspect of UX design since the little details seem to be so minor to us, however these minor details can have large and lasting impacts. Designing a user experience without paying attention to unconscious biases is leaving out small changes that, in turn, alienate large demographics of people and shrink your client base. On the other hand, making these small changes could be just the kickstart your product needs to expand and catch on within other demographics. This presentation will detail how to identify and overcome unconscious bias in order to achieve the maximum client or consumer base possible. Marcus Finley, Twitter: @marcusafinley, Instagram: @findigital FIN. Digital Concurrent Session Speaker Bio Marcus Finley is the CEO and Founder of FIN Digital, a full service application development firm in Washington DC. Marcus graduated from Florida State University where he majored in Mechanical Engineering and Public Administration. Marcus is a certified Scrum Master with expert knowledge of a number programming languages, user experience design and web/mobile application development. Marcus has managed over $3 million dollars of contracted technology development and strategy projects for with an average project budget of $200,000. In his professional roles he has provided technology strategies and user experiences to achieve client’s goals. He has help developed UX practices, lead a number of UX workshops with clients and guided companies with emerging needs of validating applications. He co-founded a Meetup called Color of Tech to bring together a diverse group of technology professionals to network and thrive.

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Say Hello!

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How User Experience Design
Addresses Unconscious Bias
Hi NCT4G!
A N U N C O M F O R T A B L Y P R O D U C T I V E C O N V E R S A T I O N
Marcus Finley
Co-Founder FIN Digital
marcus@fin-digital.com
@marcusafinley

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@marcusafinley
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MARCUSCEO | FIN Digital
• !🌞🌞🌞🗺
• ❤📱
• 🏢💼💰👥
• ❤🏈🏀
• ,🍼!
• ✏⌚📱💻

5. • How unconscious bias effects the way users/
consumers/PEOPLE interact with technology
• What YOUR role and responsibility is around
preventing bias when your are building technology
solutions
What we’ll discuss
TRIGGER WARNING: Some of the material in this presentation
contains information or topics that may be triggering.

6. SAFE SPACE

7. A bias that we are unaware of, and which happens
outside of our control. It is a bias that happens
automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick
judgments and assessments of people and situations,
influenced by our background, cultural environment, and
personal experiences.
-Unconscious Bias and Higher Education Equality Challenge unit (2013)
Unconscious Bias

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Exercise

9. •Prejudices that we have but are unaware of and
are often times based on norms and stereotypes
•Response to others based on a number of
indicators either positive or negative.
•Assumptions made to generate actions that can
ostracize a particular social group
Unconscious Bias

10. •Most people have no idea of how biased they actually are
•Most people believe the people around them are more
biased than they are themselves
•Our ability to perceive bias in others is actually pretty good.
•Our ability to perceive bias in ourselves is generally
dreadful.
Bias Blind Spot

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Exercise

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Who am I?

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What is their gender?
Are they important at their job?
What race is they?
How knowledgeable are they
about technology?
Are they a Designer or Developer
or Other?
Would you hang out with they?

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UNCONSCIOUS BIAS ACTIVATED

16. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
Project Implicit

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the tech uniform

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TEAM STRUCTURE
THE FIRST MEETING

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Let’s Form
OurTeam

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TEAM STRUCTURE
WHO TO INVITE TO THE TABLE
- all the people -

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Multiple generations.
Boomers, Gen-X, Millennials, +++
They each bring a different generational
perspective, values and skill sets, cultural
reference points, beliefs, attitudes and archetypes.
TEAM STRUCTURE

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Introverts and extroverts
Include individuals with different ways of
perceiving and interpreting: feeling, intuiting,
judging, etc. This will add a richer dimension
to your group’s problem solving abilities.
TEAM STRUCTURE

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Right- and left-brain thinkers.
Creative types and linear thinkers, artists and
bean counters. The Yin and Yang of linear/
analytical and non-linear/creative thinkers is an
important element of the creative process.
TEAM STRUCTURE

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People from different countries & cultures
Capitalize on their diverse world viewpoints
and cultural understandings. Cultural fusion
is a powerful element of innovation.
TEAM STRUCTURE

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Throw in one or two “wild cards.”
The unexpected can stir things up and add a new
dynamic into the mix. You can invite customers,
clients, suppliers, kids, etc.—anyone who can
provide fresh, new perspectives on your challenge.
TEAM STRUCTURE

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A range of expertise, professional
backgrounds, and specialties
People from any discipline, even one not
directly related to the challenge at hand, may
offer incredible insights and value.
TEAM STRUCTURE

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A balance gender and social orientation
Just as different generations can provide a
variety of perspectives, so can individuals
with diverse personal backgrounds
TEAM STRUCTURE

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The battle cry of user-centered design is that user
experiences are designed around the needs of the
user, not the assumptions of the client or designer.
But often a designer’s unconscious assumption
that their experiences are a good gauge for other’s
experiences undermines the final user experience.
INCLUSIVE DESIGN: DESIGNING FOR PEOPLE DIFFERENT THAN YOU

30. • Usually occurs when input is
required from users
• Neglecting relevant content
for specific demographics
HOW BIAS SHOWS UP IN UX

31. HOW BIAS SHOWS UP IN UX

32. HOW BIAS SHOWS UP IN UX

33. HOW BIAS SHOWS UP IN CONVERSATIONAL UX

34. •Who are we targeting?
•Do our users have different
cultural backgrounds?
•Do your users need different
experiences based on their
backgrounds?
•Who can we talk to?
IMPLICIT BIAS IN THE DISCOVERY PHASE

35. IMPLICIT BIAS IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
•Validation rules
•Validate assumptions
•User testing
•Reference user personas

36. APPLY IMPLICIT BIAS TO YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE IN TECH
Flip The Narrative
When discussing users and interactions challenge WHO is it you might be talking about.
Question Yourself
Be vigilant in situations where your biases are likely to be most influential
Acknowledge The Lack Of Diversity In Your Team
If your team looks like the cast of ANY techie/nerdy sitcom, speak out
Hold Yourself And Others Accountable
Acknowledge your bias among your team and create gut checks when designing to eliminate
those biases
Find The Power Of Empathy
Build, design and implement for the unseen and unheard
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37. HOW TO DESIGN WITH IMPLICIT BIAS
• Add a step in your user profile
development process that combats the
decision making bias
• Remove the sources (person) of bias
• Increase awareness through open
discussion
• Produce a more diverse team

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Unconscious Bias is in Design

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EMPATHIZE
Empathy may feel like a buzzword these days,
but its power is real. In just 10 minutes, an
empathetic salesperson turned me into a loyal
customer.
“
Encourage & Build Curiosity
Listen & Listen Actively
Research
Display User Quotes
Pictures & Videos of Users
”

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EMPATHIZE
May not account for diverse backgrounds.

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Say Hello!
QUICK BREAK
QUICK BREAK

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EMPATHIZE

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BIAS TACTICS
•You need to make sure to create designs with all
different kinds of users, particularly people who
are different from you in terms of age, gender,
race, income, ability etc. to reveal issues early.
•Identify your assumptions and test with people
who fall outside of those.
TEST WITH ALL THE PEOPLE

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BIAS TACTICS
•Identify if they could have had an personal
experience different from you
•Have you met someone like this before
•Can you relate to their life experiences
TEST WITH ALL THE PEOPLE
Empathize Implicitly

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Unconscious Bias is in Design

46. Case Study

47. Case Study

48. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/fashion/For-Women-Hairstyles-at-the-Barbershop.html
Case Study

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BIAS TACTICS
•Be careful when defining metrics by age, race,
gender or education levels because it could be
used to create bias unintentionally
•Develop metrics that encourage inclusions for
users
TESTING METRICS FOR BIAS

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BIAS TACTICS
•Do not request for gender unless truly needed
•Implement an understanding of pro-nouns
•Identify areas in the experience where bias could
be introduced in the digital experience or by user
interactions
SETTING RULES USER INTERACTIONS WITHOUT BIAS

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Unconscious Bias is in Design

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BIAS TACTICS
Tactic 1:
• Start with quiet ideation before leading to a
group brainstorm. This allows every person to
have a voice and allows for the group to
specifically avoid groupthink.
BRAINSTORMING TACTICS FOR ALL VOICES

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BIAS TACTICS
Tactic 2:
• Hold up pictures of personas. Allow for your team
to explorer the experience from different angles
for each diverse persona.
BRAINSTORMING TACTICS FOR ALL VOICES

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BIAS TACTICS
Tactic 3:
• Experiment with format. For example, a round robin
brainstorm might allow for everyone to get a chance to
share ideas. Another formatting method might be to
have each participant copy and paste the ideas into one
shared document, followed by a period of reading the
ideas and then adding more as a group.
BRAINSTORMING TACTICS FOR ALL VOICES

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BIAS TACTICS
Tactic 4:
• Allow others to lead. Provide an opportunity
within the ideations process to exchange the
leadership role to give everyone a voice.
BRAINSTORMING TACTICS FOR ALL VOICES

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Unconscious Bias is in Design

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BIAS TOOL
• Prototyping. It’s best to check for bias at this
phase since ideas become more cemented into
the project beyond this point.
• Testing for Inclusion: This should happen on a
consistent basis but especially in the prototyping
phase.
FAST & INCLUSIVE

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PROTOTYPE
• Color choices (cultural significance, visual impairments)
• Font weights and styles
• Affordances & feedback
• Audibility
• Layout (language considerations, readability)
• Allow for customization
• Font size
• Overall zoom & magnification
• Color scheme & contract
• Touchscreen gestures
• Easy to recognize cues and metaphors
• Define labels
Inclusive Design Checklist

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Unconscious Bias is in Design

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TEST
• Who are you testing with? Test your assumption
with personas you feel less connected to.
• Where are you testing? Get out of the office and
meet more diverse users.
FAST & INCLUSIVE

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Unconscious Bias is in Design

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IMPLEMENT
Flip The Narrative
When discussing users and interactions challenge WHO is it you might be talking about.
Question Yourself
Be vigilant in situations where your biases are likely to be most influential
Acknowledge The Lack Of Diversity In Your Team
If your team looks like the cast of ANY techie/nerdy sitcom, speak out
Hold Yourself And Others Accountable
Acknowledge your bias among your team and create gut checks when designing to eliminate
those biases
Find The Power Of Empathy
Build, design and implement for the unseen and unheard
1
2
3
4
5

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Say Hello!

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MORE INFORMATION
Books
Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman
Designing for Behavior Change Stephen Wendel
Blogs & Thoughts
Kayla Heffernan - @kaylajheffernan [twitter.com, medium.com]
Benjamin Earl Evans - @benjamineevans [twitter.com, medium.com
Emi Kolawole - @emikolawole [twitter.com, medium.com]
Michael Miles - @mikemiles86 [twitter.com]
Rafael Sergio Smith - @rafael_smith [twitter.com]
Videos
‘The Social Lives of Algorithms’ - Paul Dourish
‘The Science of Everyday Thinking’ - Jason Tangen, Matthew Thompson, & Emma
MacKenzie
Organizations
Project Include - projectinclude.org

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SOURCES
• Google ReWork:
https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/unbiasing-evaluate-subtle-messages/steps/introduction/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW5s_-Nl3JE
• Culture Plus Consulting:
https://cultureplusconsulting.com/2015/11/03/unconscious-bias-training-that-works/
• BuzzFeed:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/carolineodonovan/airbnb-is-getting-sued-for-racial-discrimination?
utm_term=.dxwM5ywJGa#.tvxWRZYGX6
• Grovo:
https://youtu.be/8Y_FZEyAako
• NPR:
http://www.npr.org/2016/04/26/475623339/-airbnbwhileblack-how-hidden-bias-shapes-the-sharing-
economy
• UX Booth:
http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/three-exercises-to-teach-your-team-empathy/
• UN Women:
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2013/10/women-should-ads
• Microsoft:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/design/inclusive
• Kayla Heffernan:
http://www.kaylaheffernan.com/